1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to the field of safety devices for detection of unattended children within a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Every summer there are stories on the news of children being inadvertently left in vehicles by a parent or guardian. Many of these stories have a relatively happy ending as the child is noticed by a passerby, rescued from the vehicle before suffering any adverse consequences, and the grateful parent discusses how thankful they are for others being observant. The more tragic stories result in the avoidable death of a child and generally the devastation of a family.
One thing that these stories often bring to a forefront of discussion is whether the potential danger present from a parent leaving a child in the vehicle should result in criminal charges being brought against the parent for endangering the child. As part of this, there is always significant hand-wringing over how a parent could possibly be so forgetful. Talking to many parents that have not yet left a child in a vehicle, the thought of it being accidental is simply unbelievable. Yet, when you talk to a parent that has inadvertently left a child in a vehicle (with whatever consequences) you quickly discover that up until they actually did it, they had a similar opinion.
The simple fact of life in today's world is that it is hectic and many people only get through the day operating purely on habit and routine. There is probably no greater routine breaking event than the birth of a child. Such an event will greatly change the lives of the parents in a myriad of different ways and for anybody who is forced to live a hectic schedule it is easy to see how a parent, simply acting as they did before they had the child, can inadvertently forget that the child is in the back of the vehicle at this particular time. This problem is compounded by the fact that both parents generally share child transportation duties in today's world, and often do so along a relatively random schedule. Therefore, on any given day at any given time either parent may or may not be transporting a child.
Still further, the very features designed to make automobiles safer to operate and to keep children safe in them contribute to the problem. With the addition of airbags and safer car seats, children are now generally placed in the back seat of the vehicle, instead of in the front seat where they were more easily seen by a parent departing the vehicle, particularly if the child is asleep or quiet. Further, with rear facing car seats it can often be difficult to see if the seat is occupied. This all makes it easier for a frazzled parent to forget the child is there. As the old adage goes, “out of sight, out of mind.”
While new parents may not be used to thinking about having a child in the vehicle at all, parents of older children can often forget if the child is in the vehicle because the child's car seat or other indications of the child become near permanent fixtures in their vehicle, whether or not the child is present, and routines may not be greatly altered by the presence of the child. Therefore, a change in routine such as when the child is being dropped off at daycare, which parent has the child today, or even a non-standard trip where the child is brought along can result in the child being inadvertently left unattended in the vehicle.
Beyond the child being inadvertently left in the vehicle by a parent, children are also inquisitive and an older child may get into a parked vehicle without a parent knowing. This situation can be just as dangerous as leaving an unattended child in the vehicle, but may be much harder for a parent to detect since the parent was not involved in the child getting into the vehicle originally.